To protest unbearable monetary demands... Students, teachers launch 3 day dharna

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Jul 25 : With extortion becoming a serious issue amid the unrest in Manipur, teachers and students launched a three day sit in appeal campaign at different educational institutions today.
The campaign is being organised by the Co-ordinating Committee on Disturbance Free Education Zone Demand today against imposition of 'unbearable' monetary demand by different organisations on educational institutions and with a call to make schools and colleges a disturbance free zone.
At TG Higher Secondary School gate, DESAM general secretary N Thoithoiba said that their demand is to stop imposing monetary demand on educational institutions, stop politicising education, formulate a policy to conduct class at least 220 days  in a year and to stop corrupt activities in education sector among others.
He said that the campaign will continue till July 27.
Kongkham Priyangka, a Class XII student who attended the campaign, said that imposing monetary demands on educational institutions put constant pressure on both the teachers and the students.
Saying that disrupting the academic atmosphere for a prolonged period would be detrimental to the society, she appealed to all concerned to establish a disturbance-free zone in every school and college.
Stop imposing 'unbearable' monetary demands on educational institutions, she appealed to all armed and unarmed organisations concerned.
She also appealed to the Government to not politicise education.
Teachers and students of Herbert School also staged the sit-in appeal at Changan-gei along Tiddim Road.
A press release issued by Herbert School said that constant monetary demands from various groups have been causing significant grievances and anxiety not only to the teaching  and non teaching staff but also to the students .
Saying that such pressure from different groups is a serious setback to the education sector, it appealed to all concerned to not create any form of disturbance in the functioning of the educational institutions furthermore.
Similar sit-in appeal were also staged by teachers and students of different schools under Wangoi Zone at Wangoi Thoudam Leikai.
Meanwhile at Naoremthong, teachers under ZEO, Zone I staged a protest against intolerable monetary demands by different organisations.
At the demonstration, one of the protesters said that teachers also have been contributing whatever they can to help the people in need amid the unrest in Manipur.
Saying that many teachers and students are now afraid to go to schools and colleges due to the frequent extortion, she said that groups and organisations demanding a fixed amount of hefty money from them is unfortunate.
Asking how the teachers can attend office in such an atmosphere, she said that they are unable to teach the students properly due to the constant pressure coming from different organisations.
Extortion and monetary demands have escalated due to the crisis in Manipur, she said and  urged the  Government to resolve the situation as soon as possible.